Stay When It’s Easier to Run
Things were in turmoil for the remnant of God's chosen. Some had been taken to Babylon, a few remained. The new leader of Jerusalem had been killed. Things were going south quickly from a human perspective. A small group of those who remained asked Jeremiah to ask God to have mercy on them. They were not sure whether to stay or run to Egypt for help. When you don't know what to do, sometimes you simply want to run. Anywhere might be better than here.
But these followers of God did not run, and they told the prophet they would do whatever God wanted them to do: "Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God."
Ten days later Jeremiah heard a word from the Lord: "If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land.”
Wow. God's promise to these followers was that if they remained in the midst of the difficulty, then he would plant them, bless them, grant them mercy, and deliver them! He also reminded them that they had nothing to fear. Just stay put and stay faithful.
What about you? Are you in a situation or circumstance where things are hard and uncertain? Have you thought about giving up? Walking away? I have been in those moments a few times over my career. Honestly in almost every different job I ever had there were moments where I wondered if I could make it through certain difficulties and setbacks. Sometimes I had friends who suggested that I move on because the stress of the situation was taking a toll on me. But I have always believed that when God gives you an assignment it will be clear when you are to move on.
I learned that when you stay until God indicates it is time to move on, then he always provides the strength and courage to sustain you all the way through the assignment. That doesn’t mean that it will be easy. In fact, it is often very hard. Here are the things I learned that are critical to making it through the hard times:
1. Daily times of scripture reading and meditation. Over time and in my most intense leadership moments, I learned that I needed more time in the word and not less.
2. Frequent times of prayer. I learned that a morning prayer was not enough but rather just the beginning. Finding a few minutes throughout the day and an extended time of prayer at least once a week was critical to enduring the difficulties.
3. Trusted friends who will keep confidential the things you share and will commit to praying for and with you.
4. Regular times of exercise to help maintain health and relieve stress.
5. Permission to take a walk, play a sport, walk away early some afternoons and relax are necessary in order to maintain health and allow your mind to rest.
6. Time with family.
I didn’t learn these lessons from Jeremiah specifically, but reading Jeremiah certainly gave me perspective concerning the long haul of work life and ministry. And the most important thing I learned?
God always provides.
Your Time with God’s Word
Jeremiah 42:2-7, 9-12 ESV
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